Delta Pilots’ Union Will Seek Strike OK

By HARRY R. WEBER Associated Press

If its members approve such a vote, the union could call an airline strike without having to come before the rank-and-file again.

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ATLANTA – The executive committee of the pilots union at Delta Air Lines Inc. voted unanimously yesterday to ask rank-and-file members to authorize a strike as the airline seeks to impose $325 million in concessions on them.

The decision came after a daylong closed-door meeting in New York, said Lee Moak, chairman of the executive committee.

“It’s my recommendation that the pilot group vote for the strike ballot,” Moak said by telephone.

The vote comes as the nation’s third-largest airline, which filed for bankruptcy protection in New York on Sept. 14, has asked the court to reject the pilots contract so the company can impose the concessions on its 6,000 pilots, which would include a 19-percent pay cut.

Delta lawyers have asserted in court that the company believes it could impose new contract terms on its pilots starting in one week even if the judge doesn’t rule on Delta’s contract rejection request by then. It’s not clear if the judge extends the hearings beyond that date what Delta’s position would be.

The pilots, who are represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, initially offered $90.7 million in average annual concessions over four years. They have since reviewed their proposal and now value it at $150 million, which would include a 9-percent pay cut for seven months followed by lower cuts thereafter.

The cuts would be on top of $1 billion in annual concessions the pilots agreed to last year.

A successful strike authorization would allow the union to call a strike without having to come before the rank-and-file again. The process calls for balloting to occur over 15 days. The timing of sending out ballots is uncertain, union spokesman John Culp said.